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Council labels animal-shelter conditions urgent, orders emergency committee review after state law increases holding periods
Summary
Council members said shelter conditions are "deplorable" after staff described large increases in holding periods and medical treatments under state law SB 1785; council directed Public Safety and Budget & Finance committees to hold expedited hearings and report back with short-term staffing and funding options.
Council members described conditions at several city animal shelters as urgent and agreed to an expedited review after department staff said recent state law changes and seasonal intake surges had pushed shelters well beyond capacity.
Dan Knapp, general manager of Animal Services, told the council that the number of animals in city shelters has grown and that SB 1785 increased holding requirements and narrowed euthanasia criteria. Knapp said the department—s shelters were operating at roughly 180 percent of capacity and that medical treatments have risen sharply because the new law reduces the circumstances in which animals may be euthanized during the required hold period.
Knapp told the council that the department needs substantially more animal-care technicians and animal-control officers and that short-term hires could be brought back on an "as-needed" basis. He estimated the immediate additional staffing would require several hundred thousand dollars through June 30 to begin addressing the backlog.
Councilmember Ridley-Thomas described conditions observed in the South Los Angeles shelter as "startling, horrific" and said the matter presented public-safety and public-health concerns. Councilmember Wax proposed—and the council accepted—an amendment that directed the department to pursue emergency hiring rather than shifting staff between shelters so as not to exacerbate overcrowding citywide.
Action: The council directed the Public Safety Committee and the Budget & Finance Committee to hold expedited hearings within the week, requested the city attorney to explore state reimbursement options for the mandate and asked department staff to return with short-term hiring and budget recommendations. The council continued the matter for follow-up after the committees meet.
